Matthew Cochran
Guitarist/Composer
About
“The pure emotive quality of Cochran’s music pulls you into its embrace and empties your heart with every note”
No Depression
American guitarist, composer, and producer Matthew Cochran is establishing a bold new repertoire for the guitar in the 21st century. Cochran’s music combines elements of romanticism, minimalism, and popular music.
Latest News
2025-2026 Tour Dates
This season, I will perform solo, duo, and quartet concerts, as well as a new concerto. My itinerary begins at my home in Northern Michigan, then takes me to the Scottish Highlands, Iceland, various European countries, and the UK, with stops in Miami, Oklahoma City, Dublin, and many other vibrant locations.
New Michael Ritchie Guitar
Matthew McAllister showcased his impressive new guitar, built by master luthier Michael Ritchie, at the 2025 Classical Guitar Retreat. Our friends, the Salty Guitar Duo (Christina Schorn-Mancinelli and Yvonne Zehner), performed a concert featuring Michael’s guitars at the same event, and at that moment, I knew my next guitar would be a Michael Ritchie. Michael, who resides in the northernmost region of mainland Scotland, was kind enough to accept a commission. In March 2026, Matthew McAllister and I will make the trip to Thurso, in the Scottish Highlands, to visit Michael’s studio, pick up the new guitar, and perform our first concert with a pair of Michael’s instruments. You can keep up with Michael’s progress on the guitar, and check out some of his other brilliant instruments HERE.
Solo Guitar Record:
Colossal Wreck
I go to my beloved Cathedral Barn in Traverse City in February 2026 to record my first full-length album of original works for solo guitar. The project is called “Colossal Wreck,” and it features most of the solo guitar pieces I’ve written from 2020 to 2025, including the world premiere recording of my 18-minute sonata, “Colossal Wreck,” inspired by "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Sacred Black Records:
Solo Projects
“Critical Mass” by Tom Childs, who happens to occupy an office just two doors down from mine at Interlochen Center for the Arts. We enlisted the help of our Interlochen colleagues and recorded at the brand-new Traverse City Philharmonic Center. Svanur Vilbergsson records his collection of solo guitar works titled “Icelandic Guitar Music” in October. An artist of extraordinary depth performing music or extraordinary beauty! “Testament,” Matthew McAllister’s first solo project in several years, is scheduled to go to print by Summer 2026. The LP features works by Bach, Lovelady, Barrios, and your truly, who wrote the title track.
New Scores/Works In Progress
Commissioned by my friend Stephen Mattingly, Associate Professor of Guitar at Florida State University, “Three Inward Glances” honors the memory of legendary guitar pedagogue Bruce Holzman. Stephen Mattingly premiered the piece in August 2025 at the Iserlohn International Guitar Symposium in Germany. The video premiere will be available on the Gallery of Guitar YouTube Channel, hosted by Matthew McAllister, on Sunday, October 5, at 4 pm ET / 9 pm UK. This project is supported in part by D’Addario Strings and the patrons of Gallery of Guitar. Click the link above to download the score from Sacred Black Publications.
I am honored to collaborate with the exceptional Chimera Guitar Quartet on a commission for a new four-minute piece for four guitars. Titled “Go,” the work was finished in August 2025. Chimera will premiere it in early 2026, with performance and publication details to be announced soon!
This composition was commissioned for the 2025 Mid-America Guitar Ensemble Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am pleased to note that ensembles from Kentucky, Michigan, Florida, Scotland, and others have since performed the piece. Click the link above to download the score from Sacred Black Publications.
The work was commissioned by Scottish guitarist Stewart Kelly, who premiered the piece for the Edinburgh Society of Musicians in 2024, and recently performed the piece for the legendary Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2025. Click the link above to download the score from Sacred Black Publications.
This is a solo guitar arrangement of a piece I wrote a few years ago for guitar and electronics. The solo guitar version is dedicated to my friend Harry Taylor. Click the link above to download the score (both tablature and standard notation versions) from Sacred Black Publications.
Dedicated to Matthew McAllister, Pale Blue Dot is an homage to the astronomer, writer, and science advocate Carl Sagan. This 18-minute suite in five movements is one of Cochran & McAllister's most requested works. Click the link above to download the score from Sacred Black Publications.